Because I just did a long post about the moon for New Year’s Eve, today’s post was supposed to be all about tea time and dishes and cups and teapots, to go with my Willard newsletter that starts going out today. ♥ But, Sunday night, we walked into town to have dinner and even though it wasn’t the “official” full moon yet, the island was SO beautiful, the harbor was SO alive — I couldn’t help but show you! We went home and checked the exact time the first full moon of 2012 would rise. And last night, we were ready. We were moonchasers! Reminded once again, it’s true, the best things in life are free!
Sunday night is what got us started; here we are, just three blocks from home, on the town dock at Owen Park. The thing about living on Martha’s Vineyard, is that you don’t just get the moon, you get island ambience! Shore lapping, rippling water, flags flying, people going in and out of the golden light at the Steamship Building, the salty smell of the sea. A feast of beauty for the senses.
This bit of horn-blowing ambience is docked in front of the building in the first photo — when we got there, the ferry was loading up, getting ready for the forty-five minute trip across the sound to the mainland. The water rippled perfectly to catch the dazzling reflection from the boat windows . . . I can’t even believe we were standing right there, catching such a beautiful sight!
Water like glass for the sailboat masts too . . . this is supposed to be winter, but so far, it’s been hovering near the 50’s on most days; clear and cold at night.
And behind us, the lights were beginning to come on in the little houses that hug the shore. But you are saying to yourself, where’s the moon? Didn’t she say something about the moon?
Oh yes she did! There it is! And there goes the ferry. When we left the house, we really weren’t expecting this, we were just going to dinner. . . but when we saw what was happening . . .
We needed to chase the moon, the ferry, the stars! We got the car and drove out West Chop to the Meadow for a clear view of the sound in time to see the ferry steaming toward Woods Hole. I think that’s one of the dippers up there in the sky on the right!
A little further down, we came to the West Chop Lighthouse and there was the moon, giving us a beautiful shot. All of these photos were taken without flash — for some reason, there is a very strong light shining on the front of this house. This photo reminded us of an Edward Hopper painting. But we wouldn’t want to live here . . . who could sleep? See the stars?
Thought you might like to see a daytime photo of the lighthouse (built in 1817) . . . just as wonderful!
Finally back home, and there’s the moon, peeking through the linden trees over the roof of our house. And this wasn’t even the full moon! I think you can see why, first thing Monday morning, we Googled “time of moon rise on Martha’s Vineyard,” and planned our day around 5:10 pm last night. When the time finally came, we got our hats, gloves, scarves, big jackets and drove to East Chop. We got there early and waited, so excited, as it got darker and darker, scanning the water line, asking each other 10,000 times, “Where do you think it will come up?” And, “Do you see a little light over there?” Trying to pinpoint the spot it would rise. And then, finally, “There it is!!!”
Why is this so exciting? I don’t know. But most of what you’re seeing is reflection on the water; it’s really just a little sliver of a moon, so far, skimming the water line.
And then we were treated to a bit of a light show. . . sparking pink on the water . . .
Then turning yellow. Hello.
Lighting the ocean on fire for one perfect moment in time; how could it get any better than this?
Here comes a fishing boat going home to Menemsha, about to cross the path of the moon; how must it feel to be on that boat?!!! The put-put sound of the engine, the clanging of the rigging, the smell of the sea in the cold wind, the water rushing past the bow, and then, the moon. Lucky!
I hope they did! ♥
So, after taking about 200 photos of this view :-), we got back in the car and drove along the north shore taking more pictures as we went . . .
What a view — I wonder if the owners of this house are inside but turned off the lights to watch this??? I would. And I’d be playing this music too! ♥ Bella Luna!
This is the Edgartown Lighthouse . . . see the red light? It blinks! I got it!! 🙂 So wonderful that we are digital now . . . otherwise I would have gone totally broke on the film for this little outing!
And yet, I will publish an out of focus picture like this! But how could I not? We were “coming to” from being moon drunk, and began to notice how beautiful the Edgartown architecture looked in the moonlight, details gleaming white in the dark.
Edgartown is a very pretty little New England town. But it’s a summer town; almost all the businesses close down in the winter, and many of the homes are occupied only during the summer. If you are ever looking for peace and quiet, Edgartown in the winter is the place to go. This is part of the Charlotte Inn, one of the prettiest Inns on the island.
The beautiful Federated Church . . . built in 1828; the congregation was established in 1642. But I digress. How can I help it. Sublime beauty calls.
It was a wonderful drive back to our neighborhood . . . the moon shined its light on us the whole way. ♥
Full moons wake me up…. I think I have thin eyelids or something, because I’ve always been able to sense or “see” light even with my eyes closed! Here’s the moon around 2 am this morning.
If you have my calendar, you already know that Native Americans called the first moon of the year the “Wolf” moon. They had nature-inspired names for all the moons; next month it will be the “Snow” moon. I recently gave away a Bookmark that includes the dates of the full moons for 2012 and all the Native American names for them . . . in case you just came here from Willard and missed it, here it is again. Click on “bookmark” and you can print it out and become a moon chaser yourself. It was really fun; next time I’m packing a picnic! I think a soft little roast beef and lettuce sandwich, heavy on the mayo, lots of salt and pepper, would be very nice in the warm car with the moon shine. (Notice moon shine is two words! :-))
OK girls, you probably know by now, we have a special give-away today, Valentine’s Day is coming . . . I mentioned in the Willard that I was giving away a signed copy of one of my Love Books, but I’m really giving away two! To the same person! ♥ One for whoever wins the random drawing, and one for the winner to give away to someone they love! I hope one of those two books goes to YOU!!! All you have to do is leave a comment (just click on the little gray word “comment” at the bottom of this post), and that will enter you in the drawing. I’ll let you know who the winner is in a couple of days. Until then, have a wonderful day girlfriends, be good to yourself! ♥
Starting with a Kitty Picture . . .
Hi Girlfriends! I have a story for you today! But to get your interest, I think I better start with a kitty picture. And your reward for wading through this will be a kitty movie at the end! ♥
Girl and Jack are “playing” except I think if she could get her paws on him she would box him up and send him into outer space. 🙂 He doesn’t know it. He thinks she loves him and wants him to follow her everywhere.
OK, here’s that story, it’s about why I’ve been answering all your wonderful comments, but we have to start at the beginning . . .
A long time ago (all stories are best told with musica!), when I was told that my first book was going to be published, I was beside myself with shock and happiness. I hadn’t met Joe yet, I didn’t have Martha or Lowely in my life; I knew very few people on the island, so I was alone, jumping up and down in my kitchen when it happened, getting on the phone, screaming for joy into the ears of my parents and friends in California! But that event paled (slightly) to what happened a few months after the book came out.
It was a day I’ll never forget . . . a freezing January afternoon. I’d gone to the post office to pick up my mail, parked my old green Volvo (which I still have!) in front of a gray snow bank and left the engine (and the heater) running. I picked my way over dirty parking-lot ice, through the glass doors at the post office; it seemed like just a normal winter day; I was feeling a little isolated and alone on the island, freezing, dark, gray, wintry Martha’s Vineyard. I was still a relatively new transplant, a stranger in a strange land. When I got back to the car, I flipped through my mail and saw a pale blue envelope with a return address I didn’t recognize, written in unfamiliar handwriting. It made me curious, of course, so I opened it right away. It was a letter from a woman I didn’t know telling me, in the most beautiful words imaginable, how much my book (Heart of the Home) meant to her. I couldn’t believe it; I sat there in the snow and cried tears of gratitude. Suddenly, my world had changed; I wasn’t isolated! I wasn’t alone! My heart overflowed with happiness; I clutched that letter to me, would have hugged it if it was bigger! It had never occurred to me ever that someone might take the time to write and tell me they liked my book. It changed my life. From then on, every time I sat down to my art table, the first thing that came to my mind as I looked at the clean white paper in front of me was, “What shall I give the girlfriends today? What would they like?” ♥
From page two of Heart of the Home . . . go little book.♥
The darling letters kept coming and for several years, I answered each of them individually. And I kept them, in shoeboxes; I couldn’t think of throwing them away. I taped them on my studio door. They were my inspiration. But, and this is where it got to be unfair, pretty soon there were too many. Although I read them all, I couldn’t answer them anymore, and then I felt guilty; such nice letters! And my mother raised me to answer my mail! Plus, I truly enjoyed the connection it was giving me with people from everywhere! I had always been the Pen Pal type! It put me in a terrible conundrum.
And so, as next-best alternative, Willard was born. My first newsletter, via snail mail, handwritten like my books, named after my grandfather, with news from the Heart of the Home, went out for the first time in October 1995, and from then on, it was a yearly event. As some of you know, I wrote Willard as a giant thank-you note (which is what it still is!), and so he came bearing gifts; tucked inside each letter were post-it notes, stickers, or a bookmark; maybe a little appointment book, or a gift enclosure. Since I’d saved all the mail I’d received, I had all those return addresses, and that’s who the first snail-mail Willards went to, to about 2000 of the nicest people I’d could imagine. It wasn’t as good as a handwritten personal note, but it did take away some of the guilt, and everyone seemed to like it. I got more nice mail, thanking me for Willard! ♥
Each year, more girlfriends signed up for Willard; the last snail-mail Willard, sent in 2003, went to almost 25,000 people! What started out as me, at the dining-room table, folding Willards and sticking on a couple thousand stamps, turned into me, and Joe, and three of my girlfriends, at the dining-room table folding Willards and sticking on 12,000 stamps! And then, when it got too big for us and our table, Willard became a full on, hired-out, print job, with all the stuff that goes with it, including a bill for $26,000.
The miracle turned out to be that the last snail-mail Willard went out at almost the exact same time I got my first computer! And a web site. It was also at a time when the economy was changing, and not for the better. It was a very difficult decision to stop sending the snail-mail Willard, but I just couldn’t afford it; I was SO grateful when I realized I could still send Willard, and for a LOT less money, if I sent him via email. Much better, I thought, than nothing! Plus, it would also allow me to do it more often, not just once a year, but once a month!
♥ ♥ ♥
These days Willard goes out to almost 45,000 girlfriends each month, we have more joining us all the time, and despite the fact that it’s no longer in an envelope, I still do my best to make sure there are thank you “gifts” enclosed. And it’s all happened the very best way, by word of mouth! You made it happen, two by two, mom to daughter, sister to sister, girlfriend to girlfriend — and now, because of the BLOG, I can communicate, the way I love to, person-to-person, with everyone! ♥
The letters I received were always wonderful, filled with the breathings of hearts♥; it gave me such hope for the world to read the kindness in these letters, the stories of families, their joys, their sadnesses, their escapades; moms, daughters, grandmas, sisters, aunties, and best friends, plus the occasional wonderful man, talking about the things that matter to all of us. ♥ I always thought how great it would be if everyone could meet each other. We had so much in common, united in our love and dedication to home, family, and friends, connected through the same kind of energy, nurturing spirit, creativity, good heart, and a true belief in the world. I thought if everyone could meet each other, if we all could come together, we could give each other hope.
And now, here we are! It’s all come true, here in kindred-spirit land. ♥
I’m hoping this answers any questions you might have had about why I’ve been replying to all the wonderful comments left here! I’m sure, with this story, you can see why, but it would still be a good question, because, as you know, I should be buckling down to write my book! And I’m going to.
I knew, when I started answering almost every comment a few months ago, I wouldn’t be able to do it forever (my experience with the letter writing told me), but I SO wanted to start this blog off right, to welcome everyone, at least once, with a word just for them, even if it was only “thank you” because . . .
You’ve been so good to me, as Joe put it, I’ve been “wallowing in your lovelight!” Thank you all, you bring me such inspiration! I still think, every day when I sit down at my art table, “What can I give the girlfriends today, what would they like?” I think I know what you would like — you would like me to keep blogging and sending recipes, decorating ideas, kitty pictures, teapot photos, moon shots, island videos, and to finish this book. Right? So that’s my focus for the next few months.
When I’m done writing the book, I will have a GREAT surprise for all of you. A really great surprise!! In the meantime, I will read and adore every comment made here. I hope you connect a bit with each other too, and when you don’t see me reply to your comments, you’ll know that I love you for being here and I’m painting and cooking new recipes as fast as I can, all the while thinking, “What shall I give the girlfriends today, what would they like?” ♥
And now, with no further adieu, I will set the Random Number Generator into motion to choose the winner of our drawing! Soon, two of my signed Love books, one for our winner and one for her to give away to someone she loves, will be winging their way across country along with a special Valentine just for . . . . Yoo hoo, RNG? The name please?
♥ J O C E L Y N ♥
RNG only had a first name, but he also had her email address . . . so I wrote to Jocelyn and will probably hear from her soon. One more hint, he says she’s a quilter!
And now because you’ve been so good, here comes a kitty movie. This is four days after Jack had his surgery. I know you’ve been wondering how he is . . .
XOXOXOXOXOXO
Yes, and after today, I promise to keep my posts a little shorter too! 🙂 Don’t forget I’m taking you all to New York with me at the end of the month! Have a wonderful day! ♥